


The Magic in the Mundane

by YourFavLocalMeme



Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell, Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell, Simon Snow & Related Fandoms
Genre: Birthday Fluff, M/M, Post canon, Simon Snow - Freeform, SnowBaz, also simon and baz live together in this fic, his birthday was so long ago but still, i love penny so much, penny moved to america with micah, snowbaz saying i love you, soft stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 01:52:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15595605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YourFavLocalMeme/pseuds/YourFavLocalMeme
Summary: Penny and Baz surprise Simon every year on his birthday. They also go to the beach. Literally just post canon fluff.





	The Magic in the Mundane

Simon Snow woke up on the 21st of June to a slew of curse words and shouting. He checked the clock next to him, it was 6:00 AM, and apparently Penny and Baz were already making mistakes as they tried to plan his birthday.

This happened every year. Each year on Simon’s birthday, Penny and Baz got cake and balloons, let Simon sleep in and do whatever he wanted, and then they got in the car and drove to the beach. However, it never turned out to be that easy. Penny and Baz were both extremely clumsy and forgetful, and refused to use magic in front of Simon unless necessary, so they often ended up getting something wrong. Last year, they had gotten balloons that had said “Congratulations” instead of “Happy Birthday.” It was now a long running joke, but Simon would never forget the mortified looks on their faces when they realized they had gotten the wrong balloons. He assumed that this year they had dropped the cake, judging by the large dropping noise he had heard previously.

Simon pondered over whether or not he should go help then, but decided that it was his birthday and he deserved the sleep. They could deal with whatever trouble they’d gotten into on their own. But for now, he would sleep. He deserved it, considering all he’d been through the past few years.

He still had nightmares sometimes, visions of The Mage’s lifeless body in his mind. Sometimes he woke up screaming, feeling like he was going off again, and Baz would hold him until he felt better.

For the first few years after everything had happened, Simon lived with Penny. But recently Baz and Simon decided to get an apartment together, and Penny had moved to America to be with Micah. She still visited sometimes though, especially today, on Simon’s birthday. They had all known she was going to move in with Micah eventually, but it still hurt for Simon’s best friend to be an ocean away. He still had Baz though, he often tried to remind himself. But he still missed his best friend. Penelope had been the first person to befriend him at Watford, and it hurt that she wasn’t around as much any more.  
Agatha had been in touch a few times in the past few years. She had sent him a picture of The Mage with a pretty blonde girl. He didn’t know what relevance that had to him, but he still framed it and kept it on the desk next to their bed. For some reason, he didn’t really miss Agatha. In fact, he didn’t even know if he’d ever been in love with her. Now that he was truly in love, he realized that what he felt for Agatha had paled in comparison. He had visited her last year, and met her dog, Lucy. She was happy, and he was happy for her, but he couldn’t see them ever having the close relationship they’d had before. Too much had changed.

Eventually, he must have fell asleep because he later woke up to a warm body sliding into his bed. Baz must have thought he’d been quiet, but he’d heard him.

“So… how did the cake fiasco go?” Simon whispered, and Baz startled next to him.

“How do you know about that?” Baz mumbled.

“I heard you,” he turned to face Baz.

Baz blushed, sighing and blowing hair out of his face. Simon wrapped his arm around him.

“Well… happy birthday, I guess,” Baz said, so softly that Simon almost couldn’t hear him. 

“Thanks,” he buried his head into his chest. “I love you,” he murmured.

“I love you too,” Baz kissed the top of Simon’s head, and they both soon fell into a deep sleep. Both of them still struggled with nightmares, but being in each other’s arms seemed to help.  
Sleep soon enveloped Simon in its arms, and for the first time, he had dreams of things other than death and losing his magic. Dreams of marriage, of eternal love, filled his mind. He dreamt of being held as if he owned the world. Waking up, he realized the last one had not been only a dream, but real life as well. 

Simon woke up at 9:30 AM to loud singing of “Happy Birthday.” He saw Penny and Baz, who must have left the bed earlier, standing around him. He was surprised Baz wasn’t playing violin this year. Last year, Baz had played “Happy Birthday” on violin as Penny sang. 

Eventually, Simon got up and rubbed his eyes. “What?”

“Simon, you’re telling me I came all the way from America to see you on your birthday, and the first thing you say to me is ‘what’?” Penelope said sarcastically.

“No, I mean…” Instead of explaining, he hugged her tightly. “Thank you,” he whispered.

When he pulled away, he shooed them both out of the room to change out of his pajamas, which he did as quickly as he can, and then he entered the kitchen. When he entered the kitchen, he saw icing stains where they had tried to clean up the cake they had dropped earlier. He also spotted a giant cherry scone on the tabletop, which they must have made instead of the cake they had ruined.  
He sat down to tea and scones and Penny and Baz began to gather up the presents they had gotten him. 

“Happy birthday, Simon!” Penny repeated, again hugging him. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too,” he said, feeling tears begin to well up in his eyes. Blinking them back, he asked Penelope how America was.

“It’s great. Micah and I have a little apartment near by where I go to school. I had to transfer my transcripts from the year of uni I did over here to my current university, but it worked out. I really wish you would come visit though. It’s weird living without you after that year we roomed together.”

“Yeah, I get it. I think we will come visit you, sometime. It’d be nice, to get away from England for a little while, especially after all that happened.”

Penelope nodded, sipping her tea. Soon, they started giving Simon presents. Penny got him a scone pan, which he enjoyed. Baz got him a brown toy wand that almost resembled his old wand, which he missed dearly. Baz also got him a frame with a picture that must have been taken at the Leavers Ball years ago. He remembered that day. It felt like years ago that he had been at Watford and danced with Baz, but it really hadn’t been all too long ago. Penny also gave him a card her mum had written, talking about what was going on at Watford School of Magicks.

For the longest time after everything had happened, Simon hadn’t wanted to think about Watford, let alone talk about it. Somehow, the tragedy that had occured before the end of his last year had made him want to forget everything, even the good. The trauma had made him want to forget everything. His therapist told him this was his way of dealing, but he knew it wasn’t healthy. So now, he talked. He remembered what happened, and he remembered Watford. Watford had been his home, the first place he had ever truly belonged, and he didn’t want to forget that just because trauma had occurred there. So he talked about the good and the bad, and he let Professor Bunce, now Headmistress, send him letters, so he wouldn’t forget. 

The first few months after everything happened, Simon refused to talk to anyone but Baz and Penelope. He talked to his magical therapist, but that didn’t count as social interaction. Now, however, he was trying to be better. He sent letters to old classmates to see how they were getting along. Baz kept insisting on him getting a phone, telling him it was old fashioned to send by mail, but he didn’t need the added stress of technology in his life. 

He immediately brought Penny and Baz in for a hug, holding on tightly. The past few years had been so hard, but they were still here. They had supported him through everything: through losing his magic, through having to spell away his wings and tail, and through him being a complete and utter mess (even though that had never been out of the ordinary). After everything had gone down, he’d truly believed that they deserved to leave him behind, that they would be happier without him. He had believed that because he wasn’t the Chosen One, he hadn’t deserved love. But they were still here. 

When he pulled away, he had tears in his eyes. “I know I haven’t been the easiest person to deal with for the past few years, and I know I’ve been an emotional wreck. I haven’t been the best friend, or the best boyfriend, and I’m sorry. I just… I wanted to thank you guys, for being there. I love you both more than you’ll ever know.” He was full on sobbing at this point, and he noticed that both Baz and Penelope had wet eyes.

“It’s… It’s really nothing. We love you so much,” Penny said and Baz nodded in agreement. They were all crying at this point, so full of love that their tears radiated it.

Eventually, they all packed their bags and got ready to go to the beach. The beach was further away from them, so they didn’t go too often. But going on Simon’s birthday had become a tradition. Simon loved the beach; he loved the sand and the water, especially the smells. Baz pretended to hate it, but he knew he secretly loved it. The only problem was that they had to hide Simon’s wings and tail with spells, and people often ended up tripping over his tail or accidentally running into his wings. 

**“These aren’t the droids you’re looking for!”** Penny spelled, bringing her wand out. Simon knew that this would mean countless run-ins, but he knew it was better than being asked why he was running around with wings and a tail.  
Baz looked up from his phone quickly. “Fiona says happy birthday,” he said. 

“Tell her I say thank you,” Simon replied. Baz nodded in response, again typing something on his smartphone. 

Soon, they were in the car, prepping for a one hour drive. Simon got in the passenger’s seat, taking Baz’s phone to play music. He had uploaded all of his music, much to Baz’s chagrin, to the phone so he could at least listen to music. Baz claimed he hated it, but he caught him listening to the music sometimes. His playlist consisted of 80’s pop, showtunes, Troye Sivan, and more. 

Simon was soon blasting “This is Me” by Keala Settle. Earlier in the year, he had dragged Baz along to see The Greatest Showman. By the end, they were both in tears. He dreamed of traveling to New York to see a Broadway show, but he knew that it would be way too expensive. But that didn’t stop him from listening to soundtracks online and stealing Baz’s phone in the middle of the night to watch bootleg performances online. 

The next song that came on was “Wild” by Troye Sivan. Troye Sivan was one of the few artists Baz openly agreed with Simon on. In fact, Baz had been the one to introduce him to Troye Sivan. They were both completely obsessed with openly queer artists, sad as it was. They listened to Hayley Kiyoko almost every day. Quite a few Halsey songs could be found on the playlist as well. 

At some point during the car ride, Baz grabbed Simon’s hand and squeezed. The music stopped and they started telling stories from the past few years. Penny continued talking about living with Micah, and Simon didn’t feel sad about it. The air bubbled with something calming. Again, Simon felt a surge of gratitude for his friends, who made him laugh even when the world was falling apart. These were the people who had held him and told him that it would be okay, and he loved them for that. He smiled, letting himself live in the moment and not the past. For a moment, he let his mind only focus on what was happening around him.

Eventually, the car rumbled onto sand, and Simon knew that they were there. He gathered his things and jumped out. Baz and Penelope did the same. 

They put sunscreen on and sat on the sand, a blanket underneath them. It was a weekday, so not many people were there. Simon saw only a few people scattered nearby them. Seagulls crowed in the air. The sand did not feel painful, rather soft and inviting. The smell of the ocean wafted through Simon’s nose, immediately calming him. He began to watch the waves roll in. There was something calming about the waves. It was as if they were trying to sing you a lullaby as they crashed onto shore. The ocean was a clear shade of blue, inviting and open. 

Penelope opened a textbook, preparing to read.

“Really?” Simon laughed. “We come to the beach, and you’re going to study?”

Penny looked at him curiously. “What else am I supposed to do?”

“I don’t know. Maybe go in the water or build a sand castle?”

She groaned, but got up from her chair. “Okay, fine, I’ll go in the water. Are you coming?” She asked as she began to walk towards the ocean. Simon nodded eagerly in response.

Simon was soon floating in the ocean as Penny stood there, unsure of what to do. He felt the ocean on his back as he soared. 

“You see… You do this,” he demonstrated to Penny, and she jumped up, trying to float but only falling under the water. He giggled. “No, no, no… Like this.” Soon enough, Penny had gotten the hang of it, and they were both floating in the water.

Simon stared up at the sky, which was light years away. He was reminded of how small they truly were, how insignificant their problems were. He thought about how in a few years, the name Simon Snow would mean nothing, or maybe it would be merely a legend in the Wizard Community. But right now, in this moment, he was alive. And his problems were insignificant in comparison to everything else in this world, and he felt that that was comforting. He thought about how he was still the same person he’d always been even without magic. And he thought a lot about the fact that the people who mattered most were still in his life, despite everything that had happened. However, soon the wave he was floating on crashed, and the thoughts ended just as the wave had. 

Eventually, Penelope got out of the water, and Simon floated alone. The waves made him feel as if were endless, as if he could go on forever. Maybe he didn’t have magic anymore, but he still believed that there was magic in things such as the beach and love; friendship and laughter; music and car rides. 

At some point, Baz ventured into the water as well. 

“Hey,” he said, looking at Simon with curiosity in his voice. 

“Hey,” he returned the gaze.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

“I don’t know…” Baz asked this a lot lately. In the past, Simon had avoided thinking with all of his might, but now it seemed like he had nothing better to do but think. 

“C’mon. I’ll tell you what I’m thinking if you tell me what you’re thinking.” Baz nudged him.

Simon nodded, agreeing. That was fair. A thought for a thought.

Baz cleared his throat awkwardly. “I’m thinking that I never thought I’d actually be here, this close to you without trying to murder each other. I never actually believed we’d be anything. I’m thinking that…” he got silent, as if he didn’t want to go on. Simon put his hand on his arm, encouraging him to continue. “I’m thinking that my mum would be proud of me. That she would be happy that I’m alive today.” Tears filled his eyes, something Simon very rarely saw. 

Simon didn’t know what to say to that. Baz’s mum had died when he was only five years old. There had been a vampire attack at the nursery in Watford. Baz had been bitten and turned, and his mum had died. 

“Okay, now you say what you’re thinking,” Baz replied.

“I’m thinking… I’m thinking that I’m really grateful that you and Penny stayed. And that everything is over now.”

“Well, it is,” Baz said. He kissed him, and it was just as magical as it had been the first time. 

“I love you,” he said, and Baz said the same in response.

Soon, however, they were splashing each other and dunking each other underwater. 

They went home later that day, and Simon felt a sense of calm in his body. It had been an excellent day with his best friend and his boyfriend, and that was everything. That was all he needed. 

He slept on the drive home, dreaming of magic in everyday life. 

When they got home, he crawled up into bed and curled into Baz’s arms. He didn’t need a wand for this. He didn’t need to cast a spell for love, or for friendship, or for floating on the waves. He didn’t need magic to be happy. That knowledge enveloped him as he fell into a deep sleep. 

A/N: Hey this is for the Summer Snowbaz Extravaganza! You should check out the other works in the fic if you haven't already. You should also go support the amazing person who organized the collection, Bay [alliaskofyou on tumblr]. I know Simon's birthday was in June, but I really wanted to do this for the collection, so sorry if it's a bit late. This fic came from a few headcanons of mine. First of all, the headcanon that Baz and Simon would eventually move back in together and that Penny would move to America to be with Micah [which is basically stated in the canon]. Also from the headcanon that Baz and Penny would do something big to celebrate Simon's birthday after Watford. And yes, I know that technically in the canon Simon doesn't know his birthday, but I changed it for this fic. Also from the headcanon that Simon loves the beach (which he would, don't tell me otherwise). And yes, Simon's playlist is basically a replica of my own, but I think that's the type of music he'd like. Also, for some reason I discovered my own headcanon that Simon is a broadway stan in this fic and now I'm never letting it go. And btw, a bootleg is a recorded film of a broadway show (support the show though please!). I don't use bootlegs bc it's disrespectful to the cast that worked so hard on their show, but that's my opinion. Anyways, kudos and feedback are always appreciated! I'd love to hear what musicals you think Simon's into (I think he'd love Heathers and Falsettos, but that's just me). Also, of course, check out my other fics. I'm currently working on Four Scones, a chaptered fic in which Baz comes in everyday to buy four scones at Simon's scone shop. I'm hoping to update soon! And I also worked on the Spring Snowbaz Extravaganza, writing a little spring tea fic with Natasha Grimm-Pitch [in which she's still alive]. Thanks for reading!

Also, sorry for any grammatical errors.


End file.
